Category: quito

Day 3 started early, as we were heading out of town to the ‘Avenue of Volcanoes’ to the north of Quito. About an hour’s drive just outside the bounds of the city was our first stop, the Pululahua crater viewpoint and geobotanical reserve.

As ever there were lots of unique flowers growing with medicinal and edible uses. You can take a walking trail or horse-ride around the crater’s edges or down to the bottom. There’s a hotel and some hot springs, so it’d be a pretty nice place to stay a night. I was excited to spot a couple of hummingbirds flitting about, but there were far more to come later!

We had lunch at the El Crater restaurant near the lookout point. This is a pretty swish place with amazing views over the rolling green hills and valleys and the crater itself. The food was very tasty, as well. I do love the Ecuadorian style of giving you a little bit of lots of thing on the same plate: some grilled veggies, a tortilla (this is a small fried corn or potato cake in Ecuador), fried plantain slices and toasted and steamed maize kernels, served with spicy-creamy-salty salsa to slather over it all.

From Pululahua we headed west to Bellavista Cloud Forest, a huge private nature reserve and eco guest lodge which is especially known for exotic flower and bird spotting. Unfortunately though, there had been a landslide in the night and the only road to the cloud forest was completely shut off to traffic so we couldn’t drive to it. Instead we went to a smaller reserve called Alambi which we’d passed on the way.

I can’t compare it to Bellavista, but I really loved Alambi anyway. It’s the private home of owner Fabian, and he’s built a lodge for visitors on the little piece of land. In what’s basically his backyard he hung lots of sugar water feeders and planted sweet flowers, which mean hummingbirds flock there in droves.

It was quite amazing to see so many hummingbirds from so close – I was maybe 1m away. I think I sat watching them for about twenty minutes before being taken on a tour of the small reserve.

Positioned on the edge of the rainforest, there are more interesting plants here, like the ‘dragons blood’ tree which oozes red liquid when you cut the bark. It turns into a white cream when you rub it into the skin and is said to be an insect repellant.

Fabian also has orange, guava, lemon, coffee and mandarin trees, so you can grab a sweet snack while spotting butterflies. This was a really lovely place, I’d like to come back and stay the night sometime.

The next stop is kind of an Ecuadorian must-do: a visit to 0 degrees, 0 minutes, 0 seconds latitude, ie the horizontal centre of the earth. There are two big tourist attractions set up around this point – but unfortunately neither are particularly good!

The first one, the Intinan Museum, claims to contain the real geographical centre as calculated by GPS. They’ve built a little outdoor museum around it but it’s pretty kitsch and quite poorly done: a couple of llamas and snakes in too-small enclosures, some rather random displays about indigenous cultures, and some reconstruction totem poles. Kind of cheesy and not worth bothering with in itself.

The 0,0 degrees line itself is quite nicely marked and an obvious must-do photo op. The guides give various demonstrations about phenomena that supposedly happen around the equator – water draining in opposite directions, balancing an egg on a nail, your strength and balance becoming weaker – all of which I was a little skeptical of and had my suspicions confirmed by Googling afterwards. It’s nearly all faked: the Coriolis effect is not strong enough to pull draining water in opposing directions (the guide pours from different angles), you can balance an egg anywhere with a bit of effort, and the strength test must be suggestion. Weirdly I did find it really hard to walk straight along the line (supposedly due to centrifugal forces pulling you) but I can probably put that down to suggestion too. So yeah, it was all a bit silly and fake but at least this is (pretty much) the genuine 0,0 line so that in itself was quite cool and worth seeing.

The second site is about 200 metres away and much grander, yet unfortunately utterly inaccurate. Built in the 1970s, it was decided to build the resort here as a result of French scientists’ measurements. Sadly it’s definitely not the real 0,0 spot, though there’s nothing at the resort to tell you that! You can see why they’re carrying on the pretence though – it was obviously an expensive development, pretty much a mini village with shops, restaurants, an observatory and even a bullfighting ring (used for concerts and events since bullfighting is now illegal here). The big monument in the centre is quite classy, and there’s a pretty interesting exhibit inside about the indigenous people all over Ecuador and the Galapagos islands. So even though I was a little disappointed by both sites, they are both worth visiting for one reason or another.

Back in Quito for the evening I took myself out for a little wander around the old town as it was my last night staying here. The half-hour before the sun starts to set is a really beautiful time, the light streaming down from the sky before sinking below the mountains; even a short rainfall is a nice relief from the heat.

I’d done a bit of research on vegetarian restaurants and walked down the lovely cobbled San Marcos street to find La Cuchara de San Marcos. I think the name means cul de sac, as appropriately it’s tucked away at a dead end at the very end of the street. (Amusingly I thought I found the place as I was walking down San Marcos street and it took ten minutes’ chatting to the waiter and chef in broken Spanglish before I realised it wasn’t the right place. By that point I felt like I had to stay for a bit, so I ended up having a very tasty michelada and little place of tacos en route. Two dinners for the win!)

Anyway, the real Cuchara is tucked up a staircase which leads to a pretty fairylit courtyard and a cosy restaurant-bar. The menu is Ecuadorian food given a veggie makeover: soy, potatoes, cheese and vegetables take the place of meat in classic local dishes. i had ricotta empanadas followed by a peanut stew with soy protein and potatoes.

They also have some local craft beers; I had an Andes red ale which was really tasty and got a couple more bottles to bring home. I got chatting to the co-owner, an American ex-pat from San Francisco (hence the beer knowledge), who explained to me how he came to open the place. He also brews small batches of beer on-site, though sadly the next batch was still fermenting on my visit. I was really pleased I ventured out and found this place: it’s generally recommended that tourists, particularly women, don’t walk around alone after 9 or 10pm but I didn’t feel unsafe while walking there and back (pre-9pm but definitely dark). The old town is well-lit and as long as you stick to the larger streets and plazas I think it’s OK to have a wander.

The next day of my trip we were due to climb to even higher heights, then take in some culture from Ecuador’s most renowned artist. We hopped in the car and took a ride up to El Panecillo – a volcanic hill so named by the Spanish because it resembles a little bread roll. This site was chosen to build a statue of the virgin madonna, who watches down on the city from her perch and can be seen from all over the old town. She is clad in 7000 aluminium tiles and was completed in 1975.

You can climb up inside and get an amazing view of the sprawling city. Quito has seen an explosion in growth in the last 10-15 years and the infrastructure has not really caught up yet – but a new subway and road tunnels are under construction now to better connect the north and south of the city.

Next we headed up even higher – via the Teleferico cable car that hoists you up along the slopes of the Pichincha Volcano to over 4000m above the city, to a lookout point called Cruz Loma. Luckily I’m not afraid of heights…

Once at the top, the bustle of Quito seemed to melt away. It was so quiet and peaceful, surrounded by alpine plants and delicate flowers with just a hint of fresh breeze.

You can walk a trail around the mountain top, and also take a horseback ride or bring bikes up to explore further.

A rather cool looking modernist church was built up here about ten years ago, and people make the journey up here for mass in order to feel closer to God.

You can see why, as from here you are literally amongst the clouds. It was clear when we made the ascent, but a thick white wall of cloud rolled in from the south as we were at the top. To be standing at over 4000 metres high watching clouds amble past in front of your eyes is quite something.

Reluctantly coming back down to a relatively normal height, we went to a different kind of wonder next: The Chapel of Man (La Capilla del Hombre). This place is really interesting – it’s kind of a secular artistic monument to the struggles that mankind faces all over the world, founded by Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín (1918-1999), whose artworks fill the cavernous space. I was given a guided tour to help explain the purpose of his work to me.

Guayasamín’s aim in his art was to highlight the pain and suffering that humans face as a result of war, slavery and dictatorships. His works are incredibly striking and moving, especially up close where you can appreciate the colours and textures. You can see influences from Picasso in the distorted angular shapes of human bodies, and from Goya in the grotesque depictions of evil forces and pain.

Some canvases are kinetic – the panels can be moved into millions of configurations to represent shared connections even amongst fragmented souls.

This interesting work is a pastiche of an iconic 15th century religious painting which hangs in the Louvre. Instead of Jesus and Mary, the agnostic Guayasamín removed the religious imagery, making his piece show the universal human pain of any mother who has lost her son.

“I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a child with no feet.”

I hadn’t heard of Guayasamín before visiting the museum, but came away very moved and interested to learn more. My guide said that while he is the most famed Ecuadorian painter, his work is not especially well known outside of South America. I recovered from quite an intense day with a caipirinha in the hotel bar before turning in ready for an early start in the morning.

After a lovely bath and long sleep to shake off the flight, I was ready to explore Quito. I landed on my feet with my first hotel stay at Casa Gangotena. The above was the view I woke up to just before sunrise.

This place is luxury on toast: voted 6th best boutique hotel in the world by TripAdvisor, it’s situated ridiculously centrally in the old town overlooking Plaza San Francisco and the same-named church. It’s the old mansion of a wealthy Quito family which was converted into a 31-room boutique hotel a few years ago. Despite being so central with the bustling square right outside, my room was a haven of peace and quiet.

It was such a lovely introduction to the city to wake up and watch the sun rise behind the church and see the plaza slowly roll into life.

Breakfast blew away any remaining plane-fuzz. Seated in a sunny corner with more views of the square, I started with a mimosa and tasty homegrown coffee.

There’s an extremely well-stocked buffet including juicy local fruits, breads, pastries and cheeses, and you can also order cooked-to-order dishes.

I had to try something local: the ‘San Roque’ comprised soft-boiled eggs next to a cheese-topped pancakey flatbread, with a brown sugar syrup to drizzle over. Slightly weird and utterly delicious.

I met my guide for the week, Luis, in the hotel lobby and we set about on a walking tour of some of the nearby sights of the old town. The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, on the strength of it having the best-preserved historic centre in South America. You can easily see the Spanish and Moorish influences in the architecture; if you plonked me here at random I’d have said it was Barcelona.

We started by doing a lap of some of the streets leading off the plaza, taking in some of the local shops. I see they got the memo to send out a welcome cat.

Grain stores selling masa, beans and rice by the sack, and small stoves cooking up hot snacks.

Beautiful vegetables, familiar and exotic

An alternative pharmacy, which uses herbs and plants to make remedies – camomile, aloe, ochre root and so on.

A flower shop – roses are a big export for Ecuador, and I’ll see a rose farm later in the week.

I bought a delicious fruit-flavoured shaved ice from an old lady’s cart. Street selling is a huge thing here: fruits, hot food, ices and sweet snacks are on offer literally every few paces for a bit of small change.

We walked to La Ronda, a little cobbled street which is known as an artsy bohemian hub, housing several bars, restaurants, artisan studios and workshops. I bought some beauty products made using local honey, and watched some metalsmiths and wood carvers at work.

Back on the Plaza San Francisco, we had lunch at Tianguez restaurant. It was nice to taste some more local food: I had spicy sauteed mushrooms with salsas and chips followed by a lovely potato soup with avocado and crispy corn kernels, with a sweet steamed tamale for dessert. The juice is a local fruit, tomate d’arbol, ‘tree tomato’ which tastes like a cross between tomato and apricot – really tasty and refreshing.

We visited three churches: first, Iglesia de San Francisco, the one that formed my sunrise view. No pictures allowed inside (though I just had to sneak one) but it was quite breathtaking with every surface carved and gilded, sombre statues and Renaissance paintings bearing down, and the ink-blue domed roof dotted with more gold. High Baroque at its finest.

The Basílica del Voto Nacional. The outside is quirkily decorated with stone animals of all the local fauna: alligators, armadillos, turtles and so on, and it’s pure Gothic drama inside.

Finally the equally Baroque St Ignatius Jesuit church. No photos again but it’s another highly gilded wonder, with every square inch covered in intricate baroque- and Moroccan-influenced carvings. The church also houses a small collection of 16th century religious paintings and a special tribute room to a nun called Mariana who allegedly sacrificed her own life to God to save Ecuador from an earthquake. She is buried in the church; you can see her tomb at the altar and the crypt underneath. Also notable are the two arresting paintings on each side of the church’s entrance; one an extremely gruesome depiction of hell and the other of a more serene heaven. Religious or not, I found it all utterly absorbing and beautiful.

Finally we got a first glimpse of the city from above by driving to Itchimbia, at 3,000m above sea level. This is a little park with some rare species of tree and flower, most of which are used for medicines. The crystal palace in the centre is used for events, exhibitions and concerts.

It was incredible to see the sprawl of the city for the first time: my guide explained that most of the houses on the hills surrounding Quito are self-builds, but the government has started to crack down on planning permissions as over-development is becoming a concern. Quito has seen exploding growth in the last decade and right now the infrastructure, particularly travel and pollution, is playing catch up.

This was a great introductory day to the historical wonders and everyday life of the old town. Tomorrow I’d be seeing more of it, and climbing even higher into the clouds…

I’m back from Ecuador! I had a amazing trip, as you can probably tell if you were following my Twitter or Instagram. Thank you again to sponsors KLM and Quito Turismo UK for making my visit possible. I’m going to write my usual daily diary of all the fantastic things I saw and did, but first here are a few general facts and tips about Quito and Ecuador if you know as little as I did about this beautiful country.

Ecuador is about the same size as the UK area-wise, with 15 million inhabitants. It’s split into 24 provinces, from the coastal Manabí to jungle of Sucumbíos, with the Andes of Chimborazo running down the middle. It borders Colombia to the north and Peru to the south, with a Pacific coast on the west.

The varied landscape and interesting anthropological history of the country mean you can see a massive variety of scenery, nature and lifestyles just by travelling a couple of hours in any direction from the central capital city, Quito. Of course there are also the Galápagos Islands a two hour flight away, which I did not see this time. The Quito tourism board are keen to divert visitors away from Galapagos as it has become vastly over-visited, to its environmental detriment, and instead to promote Ecuador as a destination in its own right. There’s certainly enough to see and do here to justify that!

KLM flies to Quito and Guayaquil daily via Amsterdam from several UK cities. You get a little Cityhopper to Amsterdam which barely takes any time at all, then the long haul is about eleven hours from there. The transfer is simple – I was a bit worried as it was my first-ever totally solo flight but it was really straightforward! I found the journey comfortable overall, with decent food and a great selection of films to while away the time. You can read a bit more about my flight experience here. Quito has a brand new modern airport which is close to the centre, but the access road is currently too narrow and traffic is common – a new road is being constructed right now. A taxi into town only costs $20-30 though.

Most of inland Ecuador is at high altitude – 2000-4000m above sea level. Surprisingly I didn’t notice any ill effects but some people get dizziness, breathlessness, fatigue and headaches. Be sure to carry water and take regular breaks in the shade when you’re out and about. I never tired of seeing the hills peaked with clouds; a reminder of how high up you really are. The rolling valleys and hills make for some extremely breathtaking (literally, ho) scenery.

The year is split into wet (Dec-May) and dry (June-Nov) seasons, although it varies a little depending on if you’re at the coast or in the highlands. While the temperature may hover in the teens and low twenties, it feels much hotter due to the strength of the sun at the equator. So pack suncream, a hat, sunnies and shorts – plus mosquito repellent if you’re going into the forests. For my late May visit it only rained in short bursts in the evening and night (plus a couple of lively night-time thunderstorms) and was warm enough for bare arms and legs nearly all the time.

The currency is the US dollar. Food, transport, souvenirs and most other things are pretty cheap. Expect to pay $3 for an in-city cab ride, $1-3 for museum entry, 20-50 cents for a street snack and maybe $20 for a higher end 3-course meal with a drink. There are lots of markets selling the gorgeous local handcrafts – more on those later, of course!

The cost of accommodation varies depending on what you go for: there are chain hotels, boutiques, and hacienda guest lodges. I’ll share all the places I stayed in upcoming posts.

Ecuador is generally safe, stable and welcoming for visitors. It’s recommended that tourists, especially women, don’t walk around on their own late in the evening both in the city and countryside, but I didn’t feel unsafe anywhere. Spanish and Quechua (an indigenous language) are the spoken languages. Not many people speak English outside of touristy attractions, so knowing a bit of conversational Spanish would be very helpful in navigating and ordering food etc.

The local food is pretty heavy on meat and fish, and the concept of vegetarianism isn’t really understood – but everywhere I went had something I could eat, and the food was generally really great. Expect eggs, corn bread and fresh fruits for a filling breakfast with excellent homegrown coffee and a tropical fruit juice. Lunch is usually the main meal of the day and typically consists of a potato or quinoa soup to start followed by a a platter of meat/fish/veg with tortillas (here these are tasty thick fried discs of corn or potato), choclos (delicious crispy fried maize kernels), and a salad, plus a dessert of helado (sorbet / ice cream) or cake. I was usually too full to eat a large dinner!

Cell phone signal is poor due to the valleys and mountains. Signal for calls is very hard to come by, never mind 3G, even in Quito. Most hotels and restaurants have wifi that you can use if you’re a customer. Just something to bear in mind if like me you are over-reliant on phone data for navigating and staying in touch with people!

Quito was the base for my trip. This sprawling city of 1.6 million is split into the old colonial town (also called the historical centre) and the new town to the north. It’s a very easy city to navigate, being well-signposted, well lit after dark, and split into regular blocks with constant landmarks to help you get your bearings. I am terrible with directions and didn’t get lost once, even without my usual Google Maps crutch.

However the public transport situation in Quito and the country as a whole is currently not great. There is a lot of road traffic in Quito from locals using their cars to get everywhere, so walking around parts of the new town in particular can be a bit grubby and unpleasant. The government is working to improve this, with a new subway line and hybrid buses coming soon, as well as the promotion of cycling and no-car days. For now, taxis are plentiful and cheap if you get tired of walking, and the traffic eases up over the weekends.

There is also construction in the works to open up new train lines between the major towns (Guayaquil – Quito – Ibarra – Otavalo – Salinas) which will make travelling the country less reliant on having a car. The first of these from Ibarra to Salinas is already open (and a stunning journey – more on that later) with more to follow later this year. This is great news because all of these towns are worth visiting and it’d make a great 2-3 week trip taking the train between them spending a few nights in each.

Hope that was a useful introduction to this lovely country! Back with day one of my trip soon…

Hello there. I’m on my travels again – this post comes to you from Quito, Ecuador, care of KLM. After visiting Panama with their partners Air France and Branding Latin America, I’m so pleased that KLM invited me to take another trip to show off one more of their increasingly popular Latin American destinations. Panama so exceeded my expectations that I was raring to see more of this part of the world. Even better, Ecuador is officially in South America (Panama is part of North America, continentally speaking), so it’s a brand new continent that I can tick off.

KLM fly to Quito daily from several UK airports, including Heathrow where I took off from yesterday morning. The trip is undeniably a long slog, but KLM made it pretty easy and comfortable. As with Panama, I was treated to use of the SkyTeam lounge at Heathrow. With a 6.30am flight time I was out of the door at 3.15am (I didn’t even bother to go to sleep, which was an error in hindsight), so it was very nice to be able to recharge and get a little breakfast in the lounge before the short hop to Amsterdam. From there it was a quick transfer and on to Quito. No upgrade this time sadly as the flight was full, but Economy was plenty comfortable enough to get some sleep and there was a great selection of TV and films (I watched The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, which was absolutely hilarious and beautiful – watch it if you can!).

I can’t wait to see what this country has to offer – the tiny peek I had getting from the airport into town already revealed some stunning vistas. The itinerary I’ve got planned looks amazing and covers some of Ecuador’s natural wonders such as volcanoes, lakes and geobotanical reserves, as well as plenty of time in the colonial city of Quito checking out the local crafts, markets and food. Keep an eye on my Instagram and Twitter for regular updates and of course more in-depth updates here.

I’ve been sent to Ecuador as a guest of Branding Latin America / Quito Tourism, and my flight was provided by KLM.